Chapter 312: The Crisis of Total Annihilation

Just as he was about to counterattack, Drake froze. The voice echoing in his mind was one he knew all too well—he would recognize it even if it were burned to ashes.

Wasn't that the voice of that damned System?

What was going on today? Had the sun risen in the west?

Something was wrong!

[Hey, are you listening or not? From here on out, follow my command.]

"Are you... the System?"

Drake hesitated. Could this be an impostor? Given the System's usual attitude, initiating a conversation on its own was already unprecedented.

Offering to help voluntarily?

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

"Who the hell are you?!" Only then did Drake discover, to his utter astonishment, an unidentified black creature nestled inside his sea of consciousness.

Four tiny paws, a fluffy body, completely pitch-black except for a pair of gleaming, bright eyes.

It didn't look like anything benevolent at first glance.

"Hey! How did you get inside my sea of consciousness?!"

He had no idea when this little thing had slipped inside his mind.

A hint of vigilance rose in his chest.

"Tch!" The System waved its tiny paw dismissively. "If I wanted to do anything to you, would I have waited until now?"

The System showed sheer disdain toward his suspicion.

"Listen up, brat. This person possesses an immortal body. Even if you stake your life and fight with everything you have, you won't be able to kill her."

"What kind of creature are you anyway? I've never seen anything like you," Drake asked, his curiosity piqued.

The System's fur instantly bristled.

[Listen to me, you fool! If this continues, not only that girl, but your brothers, your crewmates, and every single soul on this battlefield will die!]

[If you grasp how severe this is, then shut up and do exactly as I say!]

Hearing the mental transmission resonate in his consciousness, Drake snapped to attention with a sudden shiver.

It really was that damned System.

He hadn't realized it at first, but that distinct mental frequency belonged without a doubt to the System.

It was just that...

"Pfft! Ahahaha..." Drake suddenly burst into laughter. "So this is what you actually look like! This... this is just too... Ahahaha!"

BANG!

Inside the sea of consciousness, the System threw a furious tantrum. A wave of pure white energy surged across his mind, subjecting Drake to a sudden, suffocating pressure that caused cold sweat to pour down his forehead.

Out in the physical world, Drake, who was locked in combat with Im, suddenly broke into a cold sweat. Im seized the opening, unleashing an explosive burst of power that sent Drake flying backward.

Regaining his composure mid-air, Drake executed an instantaneous spatial warp to close the distance before Im could follow up.

"What did you mean when you said she has an immortal body?" Drake asked, suddenly recalling the System's earlier words.

Turning to serious matters, the System's anger subsided. With a terrifying enemy before them, there was no room for carelessness.

[The source of that woman's power is quite peculiar. She is a figure from eight hundred years ago in this world, and her physical vessel is no longer her original body.]

"What does that mean?" Drake asked, bewildered, while trading blows with Im.

By now, Ace and the others had rushed back into the fray. With all four brothers surrounding and assailing Im, Drake pressed for more information while parrying strikes.

Right now, he had far too little intel on her, making victory against Im virtually impossible.

[Simply put, she obtained power that surpasses the boundaries of this world, along with an immortal constitution. However, the human body cannot truly achieve eternal life.]

[Once a certain threshold is reached, cellular division hits its absolute limit, causing the physical vessel to age and eventually die.]

[That is an immutable law of nature. Her original flesh died long ago. Through my analysis, I discovered that her current vessel was forcibly taken from someone else.]

[On top of that, she can accelerate cellular division to achieve instantaneous biological regeneration.]

The more Drake listened, the more stunned he became. Didn't that mean she truly possessed an immortal body?

Accelerating cellular division meant rapid regeneration. While doing so would normally shorten a lifespan since the number of divisions was finite, she could simply replace the vessel with another body!

Flawless!

This immortal body was virtually invincible!

"Do you have a way to break this immortal constitution?" Drake recalled the System mentioning it had a solution.

[Of course I have a way. From now on, just do as I say.]

The System tilted its little head up, looking immensely proud.

"Alright!"

Drake's spirit soared as his fighting intent flared to its peak.

Though he had no idea why the System had suddenly had a change of heart, this was hardly the time to fuss over minor details.

BOOM!!

The space right before them violently detonated, sending towering shockwaves tearing across the surroundings.

Drake and his brothers were instantly blasted a thousand meters away.

Yet for someone with Drake's spatial mastery, crossing that distance required only a single warp. Just as he was about to unleash an all-out assault to take her down in one stroke, Im suddenly soared high into the sky.

"What... what is she doing?" Drake braked mid-warp, staring up at Im in confusion.

What was she planning?

Under the bewildered gazes of everyone present, Im raised both hands, her expression so detached that it was impossible to discern her thoughts.

"A frontal shot! It's a clear frontal shot!" Tucked away in a secluded corner, the World Economy News Paper staff members were thrilled beyond measure. They had finally captured her face on camera!

A colossal scoop.

A front-page headline that would shake the entire world.

"Quick! Notify headquarters immediately! We got it!"

"Wait... that mysterious person is actually a woman?" the chubby staff member asked in astonishment.

Only now did he clearly register Im's face. No matter how one looked at it, it resembled that of a young woman.

Her facial features were exceptionally delicate.

It was evident she was a natural beauty.

At the same time, shock rippled across the entire world. This was the first time the Visual Transponder Snails had captured Im's face directly. Big News Morgans was already trembling with euphoric excitement.

His face flushed red with exhilaration.

"Good! Fantastic! When those two return, shower them with heavy rewards!"

In his excitement, Morgans swept his wing broadly. "Inform the world that we will personally pen the greatest story in history!"

"The headline will be: The Hidden Truth Concealed by the World Government for Centuries!"

"Uh, Boss..." one of the staff members hesitated.

"Speak! What's the problem?"

"If we publish this, the World Government will be utterly infuriated. When that happens..." the staff member said worriedly.

Morgans waved his wing dismissively. "No need to worry! Do you honestly believe the World Government will still exist after this battle?"

Then his tone shifted: "Even if it survives, so what? Worst case, we just relocate our headquarters a few more times!"

"Understood!"

Everyone immediately threw themselves into the frantic preparations.

Suddenly, the figure of Im on the screen released an immense deluge of black fog from her raised hands. In the blink of an eye, it enveloped the entire sky.

"What is she trying to do?!" Drake watched, utterly perplexed.

High above, the black fog gradually condensed into distinct, bizarre threads.

The dark filaments stretched taut, exuding a suffocating, terrifying pressure as they crisscrossed and blanketed the entire firmament.

Inside Drake's sea of consciousness, the System's eyes widened in sheer horror, its voice trembling: [Quick! Stop her immediately! She's going to slaughter everyone here!]

"WHAT?!" Drake was thoroughly shaken.

[She's using an all-encompassing, massive area-of-effect attack to wipe out the battlefield in one single move!]

Down on the plaza, every combatant looked up at the sky in confusion, completely unaware of the cataclysm about to unfold.